Palak Mein Bhee Patata Vangan (Lotus root/ Potato/Eggplant in a Spinach base)

This is a vegetable preparation which is normally cooked on a pooja day
(religous cermony) along with Puris, Sindhi Kadi and Rice.
It is a Shikarpuri Sindhi dish.

Ingredients:

1 bunch spinach washed well and chopped
6 Potatoes peeled and cut into big chunks
1 medium Eggplant cubed
1 14 oz can bhee (lotus root)*
6 tomatoes chopped
4 tbsps chopped cilantro
2 tbsps coriander powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger grated
1 tsp garlic grated
salt to taste
2-4 green chillies (optional)
6 tbsps oil
2 tbsps gram flour
1 tsp whole cumin
about a cup of water
4-5 tbsps tamarind paste (can substitute lemon juice)

*I tend to use the canned or the frozen bhee as it is readily available.
If using canned, drain in a colander and wash well before using.
If using frozen, defrost and boil before adding to the curry.
If using fresh, clean well and boil before adding to curry.

Method:

Heat oil in a large pan. Add the cumin seeds and wait till it turns a little brown.
Be careful not to burn it. Add the gram flour and fry for a few minutes on a
low flame till it turns golden.

A nice aroma will fill your kitchen.
Now add all the vegetables and the masalas( except the tamarind) and fry
for a few minutes till well mixed.

Now add the water and cover and cook for about 15/20 minutes till all the
vegetables are tender.Keep checking and stirring every 5/7 minutes.If you
feel that it is sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a few spoons of water.
When done, add the tamarind paste and mix well and cook for a couple
of minutes till well blended.

You can also make this with just potato and eggplant
if lotus root is not available.
Serve hot with puris, rotis or rice.

 

 

 

 

Patate ji Tikkyoon (Aloo Tikki )

The indian version of  hash browns, these golden fried potato tikkis
get gobbled up in no time so be sure to make a big batch.
Good to carry for picnics and also for kids' tiffins.

Ingredients:
6 big potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated.
2 small loafs of  bread
about a cup of water
salt to taste
1 tsp caraway seeds (shahijeera)
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
2 green chillies chopped finely (optional)
2 tbsps finely chopped cilantro
2-3 cups canola oil

This is to give an idea of the size of the potatoes and bread i used.
This quantity made about 40 tikkis.

These are caraway seeds.

Method:

Soak the bread in the cup of water and squeeze out the water very well.
The bread will be a soft lump.
Add this and all the above ingredients except oil and water, to the potatoes.

Now mix well and make a smooth dough by adding a tbsp of oil.
Make sure there are no lumps.

Take a couple of tbsps of oil in a bowl to help form the tikkis.
Oil your palm and take a small portion of the dough in your hands (the
size of a walnut).
Roll into a ball and then flatten it with your palms.

Make sure that the tikki is evenly formed and not thick on one side
and thin on another.
Now heat about 2 cups oil in a pan and make sure it is hot enough
otherwise the tikkis will break.
The way to test if the oil is hot enough is by putting a little piece of the
dough and if it sizzles and floats up  the oil is ready.
Slowly slide 2 tikkis into the pan and cook till golden brown.
Now carefully turn over and cook till the other side is also golden.

Once you get the hang of it, you can fry upto 4 at a time.
Remove onto paper towels to drain excess oil.

These tikkis can also be shallow fried in a pan with a few tbsps of oil.

Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup and bread if you like.



 

Matar Paneer (Peas and Paneer in a tomato base)

          

An easy and tasty preparation that kids seem to love.
There are innumerable ways of making Paneer (Indian  cottage cheese) and
this is one of the simplest ones. This is a typical sindhi preparation and the same
base is also used to make peas/potato, peas/macaroni, peas/potato/drumstick combinations.
This preparation goes well with rice, rotis and even bread as it has a curry base which the
bread soaks up well.

Ingredients:

21 ozs paneer (i prefer using homemade or Nanik brand)
16 ozs petite peas (frozen or you can use fresh green peas also)
8/10 curry leaves (optional)
7/8 tomatoes ground to a puree with little water
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsps chopped cilantro
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
2 green chillies (optional)
4 tbsps oil + 1 cup for frying
salt to taste
2 heaping tbsps coriander powder (dhania)
1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
about 2 cups of water

Method:
Puree the tomatoes with a little water.
Cube the paneer and deep fry in hot oil till light golden.
Drain on a paper towel.
The frying ensures that the paneer remains soft.
Keep aside.
Defrost the peas.


                                  


Heat the 4 tbsps oil in a pot and add the curry leaves if using.
Add the tomato puree, paste, salt, turmeric, coriander powder,
chilli powder, green chilliesand 1 tbsp of the cilantro and mix well.
Cover and cook for about 10/12 minutes till the oil oozes out from the sides.

Now add the peas and a cup of water and cook till peas are half cooked.
The frozen cook faster and the fresh will take some time so keep an eye.

Add the paneer and cover and cook additional ten minutes till the peas are
completely cooked.

This dish has quite a bit of gravy but it should not be watery.
If you find it is watery, boil it for a few minutes without covering
and it should be good.

Serve hot garnished with the 1 tbsp of cilantro.







 

Dahi - Yogurt

Greek Yogurt is the big fad today, but Indians have been making similar
yogurt at home since ages.
It is a very simple procedure once you procure the culture.
I normally make it every alternate day in the summer and a big pot once
every 4-5 days in the winter.
This is because it sets very fast (about 8 hours) in the hot weather and
also tend to sour faster.
In the colder months, it takes longer to set (24-30 hours) and does not
sour quickly so i make a bigger batch.

Ingredients:

4 cups milk ( i use 1% and it comes out good, but if you like it richer and creamier
opt for the 2% or 4% )
sugar about 1 tsp per cup (optional)
2 tbsps yogurt culture


Method:

Heat milk in a pan until it comes to a rolling boil.

Add the sugar and mix well. You can skip the sugar if you want or you can add
more as per your taste. You can also use splenda.
In the summer, let it come to room temperature to add the culture.
In colder weather add culture while it is warm. If it as at room temperature
it will not set.

Pour the milk into the container that you want to set it in.

Add 2 tbsps of the yogurt culture and mix well.

Now cover the container.

If you have an oven with a pilot light , put the container in there.
If not, try to put the container in a big covered pot.

I keep my pot near a heat vent and cover the pot with a thick towel.
This gives it a  warm environment to help it set.

Check for doneness as per the time mentioned above.
Try not to open it before a minimum of 7/8 hours in the summer and
15 in the winter.If you feel it is not yet set, leave it for few more hours.
Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before use, as it enables the curd to
set firmly.
Keep leftover yogurt in the fridge.

To get the culture, get some plain  yogurt from the store and use that.
Try to use a brand that is not sticky as that will not give you the
correct consistency.
Preferably try it using yogurt from the indian grocery or greek yogurt.
In India it is easy to procure  culture from your neighbours or friends
as everyone makes yogurt at home.

 

Pooris (Fried Bread)

 

 

 

These are made with whole wheat flour and are loved by one and all,
specially children. I have seen children's faces light up at the mere mention of poori.
It is very simple to make but requires extreme caution while frying.

Pooris can be had with alu/ dal/ murba/ papad/ dahi ( potatoes, lentils, sweet preserves,
pappadums, yogurt ) or it tastes great just by itself  also.

My husband loves to have pooris with chai (tea). So if i make puris for dinner,
i make sure there is some extra for him to have later with his tea in the night
as a snack :)

And as a kid my daughter would  quietly eat the vegetables that she was not fond of,
if i served them with pooris.

The below quantity may seem a lot, but believe me they fly once they are
on the table. And leftovers taste good too.

Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 cups wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste
about a cup of water, maybe few tbsps more
about 3 cups oil for frying + 1 tsp (i prefer using canola oil )


Method:

Add the salt and pepper to the flour and mix well.
Knead the dough with the water.Make sure it is not very soft
or hard but firm. Smoothen the dough using the 1 tsp oil.
Cover and keep aside for 10/15 minutes.

Now make small balls from the dough; this quantity makes about 40.

Now roll these to a small disc.

I like to keep a few rolled before i start frying.
Heat the oil in a pan.It should be nice and hot.If it is not
hot enough the pooris will not puff up.

It is preferable to have a perforated ladle for frying
as it will drain the oil.

Once the oil is heated, you can test by putting a small piece of the dough.
If it sizzles and floats the oil is at the correct temperature.
If it sinks, the oil needs to be heated more.

Very carefully, slip one puri into the hot oil.

Gently move it so that it is covered wholly by the oil.
This has to be done very gently so that you do not pierce the
disc at any place as the poori will not puff up.

Turn the poori over to cook on the other side.

It is ready to be taken out when golden brown on both sides.
It takes about a minute per poori.

Drain on paper towels.

Enjoy pooris piping hot.
It tastes specially good on rainy days.
Served here with a dry potato preparation and Seero.